Growth, Housing and Environment to Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance: Recurring transfer in line with the new Government structure

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A decision made on 30 July 2020

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2020-0091
Decision Summary Title:	Transfer from Growth, Housing and Environment (GHE) to Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance (SPPP) in line with the new government structure		Date of Decision Summary:	28 July 2020
Decision Summary Author:	Head of Financial Governance		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Transfer from Growth, Housing and Environment (GHE) to Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance (SPPP) in line with the new government structure		Date of Written Report:	28 July 2020
Written Report Author:	Head of Financial Governance		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Recurring transfer of £320,600 from the GHE Head of Expenditure to the SPPP Head of Expenditure to properly situate project resources in the right department.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the recurring transfer of £320,600 from the GHE Head of Expenditure to the SPPP Head of Expenditure to properly situate project resources in the right department and remove a layer of administration no longer required under the new government structure.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 18(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that a specified amount appropriated for one head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure that is set out in the government plan. Article 18(5) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that if a direction under this Article would affect a head of expenditure that relates to the responsibilities of any Minister, that Minister must be consulted before the direction is made. The Minister has been consulted and agrees the transfer. P.28/2020 Draft Public Finances (Amendment of Law) (Jersey) Regulations 202-, approved by the States Assembly on 24th March 2020, temporarily removed the requirement for the Minister to give the States at least 4 weeks’ notice of the day on which the Minister proposes to give a direction under Article 18.
Resource Implications: The GHE head of expenditure will decrease by £320,600 and the SPPP head of expenditure will increase by the same amount. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan for 2020-23.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to notify the Head of Finance Business Partnering for SPPP once the decision has been signed.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S J Pinel, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision:

Growth, Housing and Environment to Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance: Recurring transfer in line with the Government structure

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GoJ logo red English Treasury and Exchequer

Ministerial Decision Report

Transfer from Growth, Housing and Environment (GHE) to Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance (SPPP) in line with the new government structure

Purpose of Report

To enable the Minister to approve the recurring transfer of £320,600 from the GHE Head of Expenditure to the SPPP Head of Expenditure to properly situate project resources in the right department.

Background

In 2018, under the OneGov restructure, SPPP was created as a new government department. Policy colleagues from across the organization were pulled together, including the Environmental Policy Team from the Environment Department within GHE. Team members were moved from GHE to form the new Sustainability and Foresight team within the Strategy and Innovation Group of SPPP.

At the time of the restructure, part of the budget was moved across to SPPP to cover direct staffing and on-costs. This has meant that the budget has been split across two directorates throughout the transition period and now requires consolidating into SPPP for governance and management purposes.

The requested transfer relates to the cost of delivering the Energy plan (including climate resilience and adaptation policy, carbon neutrality and energy efficiency).

The relevant Heads of Finance Business Partnering as well as the Group Directors from GHE and SPPP have agreed that this budget be moved across to the Sustainability & Foresight Team within SPPP as the resources are for environmental policy development and are related to areas of work led by budget holders who now sit in SPPP not GHE.

3. Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to approve the recurring transfer of £320,600 from the GHE Head of Expenditure to the SPPP Head of Expenditure to properly situate project resources in the right department and remove a layer of administration no longer required under the new government structure.

4. Reason for Decision

Article 18(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that a specified amount appropriated for one head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure that is set out in the government plan.

Article 18(5) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that if a direction under this Article would affect a head of expenditure that relates to the responsibilities of any Minister, that Minister must be consulted before the direction is made. The Minister has been consulted and agrees the transfer.

P.28/2020 Draft Public Finances (Amendment of Law) (Jersey) Regulations 202-, approved by the States Assembly on 24th March 2020, temporarily removed the requirement for the Minister to give the States at least 4 weeks’ notice of the day on which the Minister proposes to give a direction under Article 18.

5. Resource Implications

The GHE head of expenditure will decrease by £320,600 and the SPPP head of expenditure will increase by the same amount.

This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan for 2020-23.

Report author : Head of Financial Governance	Document date 28 July 2020
Quality Assurance / Review :Treasurer of the States	File name: L:\Treasury\Sections\Corporate Finance\Ministerial Decisions\DS, WR and SD\2020-0091 - Budget transfer from GHE to SPPP £320,600
MD Sponsor: Treasurer of the States